1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a method of automatic reboot.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image processing apparatus such as a copier, for the purpose of charging or other management actions, several kinds of hardware or software-based counters are installed in the copier to count each printing operation. For example, in the copier, there may be a general counter of a controller, a counter of a charging device in the controller, a mechanical counter of an engine, and a counter of a charging device in the engine. It is required that these counters accurately count each printing operation. If the counts are not correct, charging or other management actions cannot be made appropriately.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of operations of counters in an image processing apparatus in the related art. Here, it is assumed that two sheets are printed sequentially.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, in step S2501, a notification of starting a printing job is transmitted from an application 2201, which controls copying operations, to an xCS 2204, such as an Engine Control Service (ECS).
In step S2502, receiving the notification from the application 2201, the xCS 2204 notifies a system control service (SCS) 2203 to start a process of printing the first sheet.
In step S2503, receiving the notification from the xCS 2204, the SCS 2203 notifies an engine 2206 to start the process of printing the first sheet.
In step S2504, receiving the notification from SCS 2203, the engine 2206 starts to feed the first sheet, and notifies the SCS 2203 that the first sheet is fed.
In step S2505, the SCS 2203 further notifies the xCS 2204 that the first sheet is fed.
In step S2506, receiving the notification from the SCS 2203, the xCS 2204 notifies the SCS 2203 to start a process of printing the second sheet.
In step S2507, the SCS 2203 notifies the engine 2206 to start the process of printing the second sheet.
In step S2508, the engine 2206 starts to feed the second sheet, and notifies the SCS 2203 that the second sheet is fed.
Here, in order to improve printing performance, the process of printing the second sheet is started while the first sheet is being fed.
In step S2509, the engine 2206 executes printing of the first sheet, and increments the count of the mechanical counter of the engine 2206 when fusing on the first sheet is completed.
In step S2510, the engine 2206 notifies the SCS 2203 of completion of fusing on the first sheet.
In step S2511, receiving the notification from the engine 2206, the SCS 2203 increments the count in the general counter of the controller.
In step S2512, the SCS 2203 requests the engine 2206 to count.
In step S2513, receiving the request from the SCS 2203, the engine 2206 increments the count in the counter of the charging device in the engine.
Afterward, in step S2514, when the first sheet is normally delivered, the engine 2206 notifies the SCS 2203 of the normal delivery of the first sheet.
In step S2515, the SCS 2203 further notifies the xCS 2204 that the first sheet is normally delivered.
In step S2516, the xCS 2204 further notifies the application 2201 that the first sheet is normally delivered.
In step S2517, receiving the notification from the xCS 2204, the application 2201 requests the SCS 2203 to count.
In step S2518, the SCS 2203 increments the count in the counter of the charging device in the controller.
Similarly, in step S2519, the engine 2206 executes printing of the second sheet, and increments the count of the mechanical counter of the engine 2206 when fusing on the second sheet is completed.
In step S2520, the engine 2206 notifies the SCS 2203 of completion of fusing on the second sheet.
In step S2521, receiving the notification from the engine 2206, the SCS 2203 increments the count in the general counter of the controller.
In step S2522, the SCS 2203 requests the engine 2206 to count.
In step S2523, receiving the request from the SCS 2203, the engine 2206 increments the count in the counter of the charging device in the engine.
Afterward, in step S2524, when the second sheet is normally delivered, the engine 2206 notifies the SCS 2203 of the normal delivery of the second sheet.
In step S2525, the SCS 2203 further notifies the xCS 2204 that the second sheet is delivered.
In step S2526, the xCS 2204 further notifies the application 2201 that the second sheet is delivered.
In step S2527, receiving the request from the xCS 2204, the application 2201 requests the SCS 2203 to count.
In step S2528, the SCS 2203 increments the count in the counter of the charging device in the controller.
In the above operations, printing of the first sheet and the second sheet is counted by all of the general counter of the controller, the counter of the charging device in the controller, the mechanical counter of the engine, the counter of the charging device in the engine, and the counts in these counters are in agreement.
The image processing apparatus, for example, a copier, sometimes fails due to problems in hardware, software, or other problems. For example, there are primarily four types of failures as follows.    Type A: urgent failures, servicing by service person is required.    Type B: failures of specific units, no influence on basic functions of the image processing apparatus.    Type C: log function failure.    Type D: failures recoverable by switching off and re-switching on electric power.
It should be noted that this classification is made just for convenience, but does not indicate the level of gravity of the failures.
In the related art, when failures of type D occur, if the number of failure occurrences is less than a preset value, the image processing apparatus is set to automatically reboot without operations by the users.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of rebooting the image processing apparatus after failure in the related art.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, in step S2601, failure occurs in the image processing apparatus.
In steps S2602 through S2606|, almost at the same time, notifications of operation suppression are sent from the SCS 2203 to the xCS 2204, to the engine 2206 via a system resource manager (SRM) 2205, and to the applications 2201 and 2202.
In step S2607, component sections of the image processing apparatus, which have received the notifications, are driven to undertake operation suppression processing. The operation suppression processing is a kind of post-processing for appropriately terminating processes being executed so that reboot can be executed safely. For example, the operation suppression includes processing that prevents new operations by controlling an interface.
In steps S2608 through S2612, the component units of the image processing apparatus make responses of operation suppression.
In step S2613, reboot is executed.
Although the image processing apparatus in failure can be rebooted as described above, the counts in the aforesaid counters, which are provided for charging or other management actions, are in agreement.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of operations of the counters in the image processing apparatus falling into failure in the related art. Here, similarly, it is assumed that two sheets are printed sequentially.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, in step S2701, the application 2201 sends a notification to the xCS 2204 to start a printing job.
In step S2702, the xCS 2204 notifies the SCS 2203 to start a process of printing the first sheet.
In step S2703, the SCS 2203 notifies the engine 2206 to start the process of printing the first sheet.
In step S2704, receiving the notification from SCS 2203, the engine 2206 starts to feed the first sheet, and notifies the SCS 2203 that the first sheet is fed.
In step S2705, the SCS 2203 further notifies the xCS 2204 that the first sheet is fed.
In step S2706, receiving the notification from the SCS 2203, the xCS 2204 notifies the SCS 2203 to start a process of printing the second sheet.
In step S2707, the SCS 2203 notifies the engine 2206 to start the process of printing the second sheet.
In step S2708, the engine 2206 starts to feed the second sheet, and notifies the SCS 2203 that the second sheet is fed.
In step S2709, it is assumed that a rebooting failure occurs in the image processing apparatus. Here, a “rebooting failure” is a failure to solve which the image processing apparatus should be rebooted.
In steps S2710 through S2712, the SCS 2203 sends notifications to the engine 2206 to suppress new operations and abort processes in execution.
In steps S2713 and S2714, almost at the same time as steps S2710 through S712, the SCS 2203 sends notifications to the xCS 2204 and the applications 2201 for operation suppression.
In step S2715, the engine 2206 attempts to abort processes as much as possible. If the process of printing the first sheet is being executed, and cannot be aborted immediately, the engine 2206 executes printing of the first sheet, and increments the count of the mechanical counter of the engine 2206 when fusing on the first sheet is completed.
In step S2716, the engine 2206 notifies the SCS 2203 of completion of fusing on the first sheet.
In step S2717, upon receiving the notification from the engine 2206, the SCS 2203 increments the count in the general counter of the controller.
In step S2718, the SCS 2203 requests the engine 2206 to count.
In step S2719, upon receiving the request from the SCS 2203, the engine 2206 increments the count in the counter of the charging device in the engine.
Afterward, in step S2720, when the first sheet is normally delivered, the engine 2206 notifies the SCS 2203 of the normal delivery of the first sheet.
In step S2721, the SCS 2203 further notifies the xCS 2204 of the normal delivery of the first sheet.
In step S2722, the xCS 2204 further notifies the application 2201 that the first sheet is normally delivered.
At this moment, however, because the xCS 2204 has been in a state of operation suppression already, and the interface is suppressed, the notification to the application 2201 cannot be sent. For this reason, the sequence cannot proceed to the operation of the application 2201 for requesting the SCS 2203 to count (indicated as “S723” by a dotted arrow), and the operation of the SCS 2203 to increment the count in the counter of the charging device in the controller (indicated as “S724” by a dotted frame).
Afterward, in step S2725, the engine 2206 aborts printing of the second sheet, and executes abnormal delivery of the second sheet (deliver the second sheet without its being printed), and notifies the SCS 2203 of the abnormal delivery of the second sheet.
In step S2726, the SCS 2203 further notifies the xCS 2204 of the abnormal delivery of the second sheet.
As described above, the first sheet is normally printed, and printing of the first sheet is counted by the mechanical counter of the engine, the counter of the charging device in the engine, and the general counter of the controller, but is not counted by the counter of the charging device in the controller; hence, the counts in the above counters are not in agreement.
In the related art, when failures of type A occur, or when failures of type D occur at a frequency higher than a preset value, operations illustrated in FIG. 4 are performed. Other methods are utilized to respond when failures of type B or C occur.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a sequence of operations of the image processing apparatus falling into failure in the related art.
As illustrated in FIG. 4, in step S2801, failures of type A occur or failures of type D occur at a frequency higher than a preset value.
In step S2802, if an automatic notification function (referred to as Customer Satisfaction Service (CSS)) in the image processing apparatus is valid, an image for automatic notification is displayed on a service call (SC) screen SC 100 to automatically notify a service center of the failure.
In step S2803, if the notification is sent successfully, the automatic notification image displays that the image processing apparatus is waiting for service from the service center.
In step S2804, the image processing apparatus waits to be switched on/off.
In step S2805, if transmission of the notification fails, the automatic notification image displays that the service center should be contacted.
In step S2806, the image processing apparatus waits to be switched on/off.
In step S2807, if the failures of type D have occurred just occasionally, that is, below the preset frequency, even when the automatic notification function of the image processing apparatus is valid, the automatic notification is not performed, and the user is urged to switch OFF/ON the power.
In step S2808, the image processing apparatus waits to be switched on/off.
In step S2811, if the automatic notification function of the image processing apparatus is invalid, or the image processing apparatus does not have the automatic notification function, when failures of type A occur or failures of type D occur at a frequency higher than the preset value, a message is displayed on the screen to urge the user to notify the service center.
In step S2812, the image processing apparatus waits to be switched on/off.
In step S2809, if the failures of type D have occurred just occasionally, that is, below the preset frequency, a message is displayed on the screen to urge the user to switch OFF/ON the power. If the failure occurs again, a message is displayed on the screen to urge the user to notify the service center.
In step S2810, the image processing apparatus waits to be switched on/off.
However, the operations shown in FIG. 4 as a response to failures of the image processing apparatus in the related art suffer from the following problems.
When failures of type D have occurred occasionally, no matter whether the image processing apparatus has the automatic notification function or not, the user is urged to switch OFF/ON the power, and due to this, the user has to perform more operations. Because the power switch is not frequently used when making copies, some users may feel inconvenienced by having to search for the power switch.
In addition, as described above, when failures of type D have occurred at a frequency higher than the preset value, it is set that the automatic notification is performed or the user is urged to notify the service center. Among the frequently occurring failures, there are some recurring failures caused by inappropriate operation of the power switch by the user, which could have been avoided by otherwise appropriately switching OFF/ON the power. In other words, even for some less than severe failures, for example, failures fixable by the user without calling a service person, the automatic notification or the notification by the user has to be performed.